The faces of Philadelphia

The city with a Revolutionary past is anything but old news

by ANITA DRAYCOTT  September 2008

The success of the Rocky movies proved that
everyone loves an underdog. Though the fictitious Rocky Balboa's
hometown of Philly may lack the glitz of Manhattan or Miami Beach,
this birthplace of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness"
is a slice of big-city dazzle with unpretentious hometown charm.

My mate and I recently spent a long weekend
in Philly where we discovered a plethora of attractions, not the
least of which was King Tut's official last stop in North America
at the Franklin Institute(222 North 20th Street; tel:
215-448-1200; www.fi.edu)
until September 30.

Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs
includes more than 130 artifacts from the boy king's tomb (discovered
in 1922 by archaeologist Howard Carter), as well as treasures from
other 18th-dynasty pharaohs. All those contributing to "Tut-mania"
will be happy to know that revenue generated from the tour will
go toward building a much-needed new archaeology museum and for
the preservation of the Pyramids, Sphinx and other national treasures.
Rumour has it that this will be Tut's last traipse through North
America.

While the pharonic Egyptians were preoccupied
with mummification and the afterlife, Philadelphia's own Dr Mütter
was fascinated by medical anomalies. "Disturbingly informative"
is how the folks at the Mütter Museum(19 South 22nd
Street; www.collphyphil.org/mutter.asp)
describe their exhibits.

In 1858, Thomas Dent Mütter, a retired
professor of surgery at Jefferson Medical College, bequeathed his
personal collection of unique anatomic and pathological materials
to the College of Physicians of Philadelphia.

Housed over two floors, the collection's highlights
include the plaster death cast of the torso of the world-famous
Siamese twins, Chang and Eng. Born in 1911 and co-joined around
their mid-section, it's mind-boggling to contemplate that these
brothers managed to marry two sisters and sire no less than 21 children
between them (pardon the pun.)

Also on display are the brain of a blind deaf
mute, a wall of skulls from Eastern Europe each with a note explaining
how the owner died, a jar holding the jaw tumour of President Grosvenor
Cleveland and wax models of various deformities.

Not for the squeamish, this bastion of body
parts was founded to educate future doctors about anatomy and human
medical abnormalities in those days before body scans and sophisticated
computer technology. It's also a great place to pick up a deck of
"Pioneers of Medicine" playing cards before your next poker game.

Pennsylvania Hospital(800 Spruce
Street; tel: 215-829-3370; www.uphs.upenn.edu/paharc/)
is also worthy of a stop. Founded in 1751 by Benjamin Franklin and
Dr Thomas Bond, you can take a self-guided tour of the historic
wing. America's first surgical amphitheatre, complete with amputation
instruments, is on the third floor and the medical library on the
second floor contains more than 11,000 volumes and journals on medicine,
science and natural history -- the most comprehensive collection
of medical tomes published between 1750 and 1850. Guided tours are
offered on Thursdays and Fridays at 10am and 1pm (call to reserve
a spot).

Philly has no less than 75 museums and art
galleries for the culturally inclined -- from the obscure Mütter
to the charming Rodin Museum (Benjamin Franklin Parkway
at 22nd Street; tel: 215-568-6026; www.rodinmuseum.org),
which houses the largest collection of the sculptor's work outside
of France, to the interactive Please Touch Museum (210
North 21st Street; tel: 215-963-0667;www.pleasetouchmuseum.org)
designed for kids seven and under.

Philly for
Foodies
And for those of us who tend to rate destinations by the quality
and variety of dining options, you'll be happy to know that the
city that gave the world greasy cheese-steaks actually has much
more going for it in terms of culinary accolades. Close to the French
Renaissance-style City Hall in the centre of town, the Reading
Terminal Market(12th & Arch Streets; tel: 215-922-2317;
www.readingterminalmarket.org), established in 1893, is one of the largest
and oldest farmers' markets in the US.

Amish merchants from Lancaster County dominate
the northwest corner. You must try the made-from-scratch sticky
buns from Bei-ler's Bakery and sink your teeth into the sensational
smokey offerings from the Rib Stand.

My husband decided to go for a shoeshine --"Three
dollars if you're a Democrat; 20 if you're a Republican" -- as much
for the entertainment factor as the buffing. From Pearl's Oyster
Bar to Delilah's Southern Cuisine (which Oprah Winfrey believes
dishes out the best macaroni and cheese) the Reading Market is worth
a couple of hours of noshing and people watching.

Now we were sufficiently fortified to explore
some of Philly's historic icons.

History Marches
On
When William Penn founded Philadelphia in 1682, he applied his Quaker
ideals of racial and religious tolerance. In the early 1700s, Philly
was the second-largest English-speaking city in the world and, by
1776, patriots were meeting at the State House to declare their
independence.

In 1787 the country's founders gathered again
at the State House, now renamed Independence Hall, to draft the
Constitution of the United States. From 1790 to 1800, Philadelphia
became the nation's capital.

Today the Historic District (now called Old
City) houses a combination of old-fashioned cobblestone streets,
historic landmarks and hip bars, eateries, funky boutiques and galleries.
Browse DeLancey Street and you'll be walking in the footsteps of
such politicians as Benjamin Franklin and George Washington.

Elfreth's Alley, the oldest continuously occupied
street in the United States, is lined with Colonial- and Federal-style
homes. In bygone times a communal oven at the end of the lane was
used for baking bread. The tiny house of Betsy Ross, seamstress
of the first American Stars and Stripes flag, is appropriately bedecked
in patriotic bunting.

Around the corner, a sign in the window of
Viv Pickle reads, "Betsy did flags, we do handbags." This design-your-own
tote shop and other edgy boutiques pre-sent a dynamic contemporary
contrast to the historic past. In the evening this neighbourhood
takes on a bohemian vibe, reminiscent of New York's Greenwich Village,
especially on the first Friday of every month when the entire neighbourhood
celebrates with open-house parties offering free drinks and snacks
to passers by.

The anchor of this area is Independence
National Historical Park (tel: 215-965-2305; www.independencevisitorcenter.com) where, after going through a thorough airport-like
security check, you may gawk at the Liberty Bell, visit Independence
Hall and several other monuments that attest to America's beginnings.

Greener Pastures
Having temporarily overdosed on Philly's historical and cultural
attractions, we decided to check out its greener pastures. Founded
by William Penn to be a "greene countrie town," Philadelphians are
justly proud of their leafy squares and open spaces.

Fairmount Park, one of America's largest landscaped
urban parks, has kilometres of walking, roller-blading and cycling
trails. Its popular 13-kilometre loop starts at the Philadelphia
Museum of Art (600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway; tel: 215-235-3200;
www.philamuseum.org),
where Rocky made his famous sprint up the 72 stairs, then the trail
crosses the Falls Bridge before hugging the Schuylkill River along
Martin Luther King Drive.

Should you decide to rent a bicycle the Philadelphia
Bike and Moped Tours (tel: 866-667-3395; www.philadelphiabiketour.com)
will pick you up and drop you off at your hotel. For an offbeat
walk in the woods, you can try disc golf at Sedgley Woods, also
in Fairmont Park. Basically, the name of the game is to flick your
Frisbee in as few throws as possible towards 18 targets throughout
the forest. It's cheaper (free in fact), faster and less frustrating
than a normal round of golf.

The BYOB
Trend
At last count Philly had more than 200 casual eateries where guests
are encouraged to bring their own bottle (wine, beer, tequila or
whatever you like), thereby saving a bundle on mark-ups.

We brown-bagged a nice Sauvignon Blanc and
took it to Branzino(261 South 17th Street; tel: 215-790-0103;
www.branzinophilly.com),
a cosy Italian bistro in the swish Rittenhouse Square area. The
specialty of the house is a whole grilled Mediterranean bass served
on a platter with olive oil, capers, lemon and white wine sauce.

Too bad more cities don't adapt the BYOB policy.
Everyone wins. The proprietors save on a liquor license thereby
lowering their overhead which translates into lower prices for their
customers. Philly is such a leader in this trend that the Zagat
Survey of Philadelphia's restaurants is one of the only such city
guides to contain a separate listing for BYOB eateries.

Little Italy
We decided to spend Sunday on Rocky's turf in South Philly, home
to the Italian Market(9th Street between Wharton and
Fitzwater Streets; www.phillyitalianmarket.com)
where the fictitious boxer toned his muscles by jabbing carcasses
in the back of a butcher's cooler.

For brunch, we joined a crowd of locals lining
up for a table outside Sabrina's Café where enormous platters
of good food are served with a smile. You can't go wrong with the
caramelized challah French toast filled with bananas and farmers'
cheese and topped with vanilla-bean maple syrup and berries.

Just around the corner along South 9th Street,
the Italian Market was in full swing. I am pleased to report that
gentrification hasn't come to this colourful corner of Phil-adelphia.
Both the character and the characters of the place remain genuine.

A sign offering kangaroo and yak lured me
into D'Angelo Brothers where third-generation butcher Sonny D'Angelo
explained that along with Heritage Bourbon turkeys and homemade
sausages, he ships the largest selection of legal meat and game
in the US. A huge bearskin, other hides and feathers also on sale
attest to the D'Angelo's mandate to waste no part of the animal.

Across the road, you'd think they were giving
away mozzarella and prosciutto at Claudio's Italian food emporium
where eager shoppers, including the city's top chefs, dodge the
huge hanging provolones at the entrance. At Giordano's the hawker
holding up a bunch of bananas promises, "These are better than Viagra."

Originally settled by Irish and Jewish immigrants,
the area became predominantly Italian around the time of WWI. Today
the Italian flavour still prevails, but here and there you'll get
a whiff of incense from a Chinese acupuncturist or spot a Mexican
taco joint.

"Our market is constantly evolving; it's a
work in progress," remarks a saleswoman at Fantes, which claims
to be the oldest cookware store in the US. You can wander around
the store with a biscotti and espresso while perusing everything
from pasta makers to Moroccan tagines.

Wit or Wit
Out
Every Philadelphian has his/her opinion about who makes the city's
best cheese-steak. The two main rivals, Pat's and Geno's, are located
kitty-corner from one another at South 9th and Passyunk Streets.

The story goes that in 1930 hot-dog vendor
Pat Olivieri craved a change in his diet so he bought some chopped
steak at a nearby butcher, cooked it on his grill and slapped it
into a bun with some onions. A passing taxi driver asked Pat to
sell him one of the new sandwiches and the rest, as they say, is
history.

We were undecided as to which vendor to try
until a good-natured gang of sixtysomething motorcyclists, all with
Rocky accents, insisted that Geno's was the best. They also taught
us to order like a local -- "wit or wit out" onions. The cheese
choice is Cheez Whiz, American or Provolone. Whatever you choose,
make sure you learn to master the "Philly lean" before you bite
into your sandwich, or you'll be wearing it.

Should you really want to sink your teeth
into this birthplace of the cheese-steak and Italian tenor Mario
Lanza, take a walking tour with local Celeste Morello(tel:
215-334-6008; tours run from Tuesday to Friday; US$30 per person),
market historian and criminologist who combines her knowledge of
the food and vendors here with a smattering of celebrity and Mafia
trivia.

"I am related to the first Mafiosi who settled
in New York and the suburbs of Philadelphia," she admits, thereby
coming by her profession honestly. Her three-hour tour covers "everything
from soup to nuts" with cooking tips and samples…

In her book, The Philadelphia Italian Market
Cookbook she writes that mob boss Angelo Bruno, who put Philly
on the Mafia map, purportedly ate his last supper -- chicken Sicilian
-- at Torano's restaurant before being gunned down. Morello's three-hour
tour covers "the best of food, art and music in this Little Italy.
We have it all here," says this proud Phil-adelphian (who, incidentally,
prefers Pat's cheesesteak).

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Additional Information

Philly bed spreads

Until the end of September, King
Tut VIP Packages (tel: 877-TUT-TKTS; www.kingtut.org or www.fi.edu/tut)
are available at more than 15 hotels in the city. One-night accommodation
plus two VIP tickets to the exhibition start from US$189. Only these
VIP tickets allow entrance to the show anytime during exhibition
hours; regular tickets stipulate a date and time for your visit.

In Philly's hip Washington Square area the
48 designer rooms at the smoke-free Alexander Inn(12th
and Spruce Streets; tel: 215-923-3535/877-ALEX-INN; www.alexanderinn.com)
start at US$109 for two and include continental breakfast, Internet
and gym.

At the Rittenhouse 1715(1715 Rittenhouse
Square; tel: 877-791-6500/215-546-6500; www.rittenhouse1715.com),
a boutique hotel in the fashionable Rittenhouse Square district,
guests in the 16 comfortable rooms enjoy a complimentary glass of
wine in the drawing room, 24-hour concierge service and continental
breakfast. Rooms start at US$239.

Philadelphia is a six-and-a-half-hour drive
from Montreal and a seven-hour road trip from Toronto.

For more information on travel to the city,
consult the Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation(www.gophila.com).